2023 - The Season That Was

[Blue1980]

Maybe not, but discarding players who go against your team's weakness feels uncomfortable to me. It's hard to keep a good list together.

I think how we play and how we select our team will be more instrumental to how we go next year than list management at this stage however list management could influence that enough.

As we have seen, the difference between top 4 and bottom 4 is bugger all. A few different players, different structure and some tweaks to the game plan.

Well our apparently outdated game plan did win us 2 finals, no matter how one wants to spin it, and within 3 goals of beating a side who hadn’t lost all year at home.

This whole running outside game thing, well the only finals which allowed that were both games against Port, who were crap in the contest. Also St Kilda v Giants, but I think that was more class difference showing.

Collingwood’s finals were basically the same as our ones, very tight low scoring affairs where there was no room to move.

Not saying we can’t add more pace, but saying the way we play is outdated is BS. It’s more personnel than anything, pies and Brisbane have a few more of the types we don’t.

Also if we managed to get a home final in the prelim we might be talking about us being in a GF.

I do agree we need to redress the balance a bit more between inside v outside, but it doesn’t need to be wide scale changes.

 

[Beyond Blue]

Terrific season.

The players and coaches fought through a fair bit of adversity throughout the season and during games.

To win two finals is so important and will stand us in good stead to improve on this effort in the years to come.

Major steps forward were taken by Cerra, TDK, SOS and Motlop, all of whom are now re-signed for the future.

Cripps, Curnow, Weitering and Walsh playing to their elite best, whilst Harry and Hewett also fought thru some adversity yo play well.

Very consistent years by Doc, Saad and Newman and we got some sort of continuity of availability out of Marchbank, Martin, Gov and Cunners.

Acres and Hollands were great additions to upgrade our wings and even the maligned types such as Dow and Fisher showed they were capable.

Good leadership from the club too to back in Voss when things weren’t going our way mid season.

I think great things are going to happen at the club in the coming years.

 

[jj1978]

In the end knew the list was worthy of top 4, hence my own personal angst mid-year with the team. So very happy for them that the lightbulb moment finally hit (however that transpired), of what it takes to get to the top.

This week we will no doubt begin farewelling some of the team, Ed (confirmed) and as we suspect Fish, Dow, and I feel Mirkov will get his farewells and most likely LOB will be put on the trade table, and wouldn't be surprised if we don't Young/Durdin on the list next year either.

If we can find our 2024 Pearce and Clape and another key defender, then with a bit of injury luck and the mentality we displayed from Round 15 we should be top 6.

Yesterday still feels like a huge kick to the nads.

 

[JuddgementDay]

We are at a point where some little changes will either make or break us.

We have a list capable of winning a premiership but it needs a few tuneups. We're far too slow. Finals have shown that to us. More speed at the contest and behind the contest will be what takes us there. The rest of the pieces are in place. Only have to look at our finals team and look at GWS, Collingwood and Brisbane how quick they are and how well they carry the footy to see that we have a problem.

I remember round 1, both sides came in with these good on paper midfields. They ran rings around us we crashed and bashed and neither side won.

We had a good win against the Cats who were genuinely all over the place. Then nothing. Could not beat anyone.

Given a bath by Essendon, we were at our absolute lowest point.

Then the game plan got thrown out, we added some speed to the side and we started moving the ball quickly. No more slow switching, slow bombs up the line, picking more players who can carry the ball and get in range of the back of the press and we were getting the ball to the back of the press, going up the middle and going around the press and we started kicking big scores as we went forward with space. Started beating top sides like Melbourne, Port Adelaide, Collingwood, GWS and St Kilda and started kicking huge scores against bottom sides such as West Coast, Hawthorn, North Melbourne, Fremantle and The Gold Coast.

Then come finals times we reverted back. Took nearly all our ball carriers out of the side and reverted back to ugly contested and congested footy. No run and carry, less ability to go with opposition outside runners and hardly any play up the middle of the ground and that ability to run with the footy, get in range of the back of the zone and get it there so we go into an open forward line was all gone. Won two finals on luck and got taught a lesson by the Lions. The season somewhat ended the same way it started. With us having leg speed and ball movement issues. But it ended in a preliminary final which is a real positive.

We go into next season knowing exactly where we need to improve. We go into next season with a team that is good enough to make the top 4.

Not wasting our forwards needs to be the priority next year. That means quick, fast direct ball movement. We have a great forward line that can kick massive scores but struggles when we don't move the ball well.

I agree with you to some extend, but not totally

Sure, we need to add more leg speed - but, the running game is not where our strengths are. We are simply not that team!

The players will now know the intensity & effort required to get into the finals and go on with it. I have no doubts they will come back from into the preseason in their best shape ever - that’s what this year has brought to the team

Outside of that we need better ball users and maximise our advantage of having two quality talls in H & CC.

If TDK can be our solo ruck & H to help 10% ruck - that will be the big driver that adds to our team agility

 

[FlowersByIrene]

I'll admit I was distraught half way through the season, thought we were mentally broken. Then something flicked, maybe it was the camp, maybe it was just a bit of health coming back into the side and fitness matching where we needed to be but then last 14 or so weeks have been magical, topped off by two of the best games I've ever seen in the Elimination and Semi Finals. Beautiful scenes.

Philosophy next year has to be - we're not here to take part, we're here to take over.

Not much we need to do over the offseason. Get kids who bring competition to Best 22 spots like Hollands, acquire Value if it presents itself, get Zac Williams healthy and have the list stay healthy.

We've got genuine competition for Best 22 spots right now and it's beautiful. Kemp, Marchank and McGovern fighting for two medium to tall defender spots. Saad, Cincotta and Williams fighting for two half back flank spots. Boyd and Cowan fighting for the last small defender. Kennedy and Hewett fighting out for the last big bodied mid role. Cuningham fighting with Cottrell and Fogarty for two high half forward roles. Owies, Durdin and Motlop fitting into two small forward roles. Martin and SOS fighting it out for 3rd tall forward. Pittonet and DeKoning competiting for Number 1 ruck. Then all those in the two desperate for a spot, Binns, Carrol and Philp all waiting.

Need to replace those on the outer and those rotting away, like Honey, Plowman, Fisher, Young, O'Brien, Dow. Any of these can go as long as we replace them with a mix of draftees and people who can potentially make an impact like Dutchie's brother and others kiking around on the fringe's of other clubs.

Bigger and better things in 2024.

 

[SolGoodman]

I just can’t wait to take the Binns out next season.

 

[Magruder]

Zac Williams and Jordan Boyd off half back should help us put a lot more speed on the ball and elevate us to a seriously good transition team along with Saad and Gov.

We probably need one more quick half forward who can kick 30 goals while adding a bit of zip through the midfield when needed. A Zac Bailey type I guess. I think we have it on our list already. Cunners looms as the guy if he can finally complete a full preseason – showed us what he’s capable of this year, but needs that fitness base to stay in the game / season for longer. I’m also tipping Corey Durdin to go to another level next year and surprise a few people. Think he is a lot more than a stay at home forward pocket. Mots also is nowhere near his ceiling. If one of these boys can step up and have a season that threatens the AA squad, it will go a long way towards #17.

yep internal growth will be the key…

 

[TeeJay Blue]

I just can’t wait to take the Binns out next season.

But... don't we want to put the Binns in?

 

[ITCHY EYEBALLS]

Speed.

<insert Top Gun gif>

Composure

 

[ferrisb]

RAPPA you forgot to add 'really F'ing weird' to the end of the thread title...

 

[myblueroan]

RAPPA you forgot to add 'really F'ing weird' to the end of the thread title...

 

[Zlatan]

Especially after the start we had, I rated the season a 9/10.

The most important aspect was getting another 69 games of finals experience (winning 2 of those finals) into the team and we’ll hopefully be better off for it.

 

[ferrisb]

The most important aspect was getting another 69 games of finals experience (winning 2 of those finals) into the team and we’ll hopefully be better off for it.

The majority of our squad would now have a winning record in finals!!!

 

[Show_Me_The_Money]

Then come finals times we reverted back. Took nearly all our ball carriers out of the side and reverted back to ugly contested and congested footy. No run and carry, less ability to go with opposition outside runners and hardly any play up the middle of the ground and that ability to run with the footy, get in range of the back of the zone and get it there so we go into an open forward line was all gone. Won two finals on luck and got taught a lesson by the Lions. The season somewhat ended the same way it started. With us having leg speed and ball movement issues. But it ended in a preliminary final which is a real positive.

I keep coming back to our start vs the Lions which showed the side out on the park was more than capable of run and getting the job done. They simply ran out of puff against the home team with a week's break and more finals experience.

 

[Arr0w]

KohPhi need a montage of our season

 

[SOS Rules]

I keep coming back to our start vs the Lions which showed the side out on the park was more than capable of run and getting the job done. They simply ran out of puff against the home team with a week's break and more finals experience.

Agreed. It doesn't hurt to add to the running capabilities though. We've added another endurance beast with reasonable pace in Elijah and a pacy forward in Orazio so far. Need to add more skill and run through the midfield. Let's see what the draft brings.

 

[gbatman]

Hope not. Just hope we don't offload a heap of pace off our list like we did in our starting 23 for finals. That will break us.

That team and that game plan we took into finals will not make finals, same as it didn't in 2022.

That style of footy and team structure we brought to finals is outdated and different to what got us into finals. Which is strange.

Teams play with far more speed and run and carry. Teams have been restructuring their lists and game plans over the last couple of seasons. You can see some teams starting to take place and they will come up from the bottom to have big impact. Collingwood, Brisbane, St Kilda, Adelaide, GWS and Sydney I think could quite easily be extremely good sides next season if they get things right. It's not going to be easy, there will be others who jump up out of nowhere with a modern list and game plan.

Not only is our finals game plan outdated you can't play that way for an entire season. You'll end up with half the list injured, battered and bruised before mid season. You'll cook the players.

AFL footy is a running game. Contested work and tackling are only part of that but primarily it is a running game. We have some adjustments to make. We have seen Carlton teams all year which have been anywhere from a terrible running side to an elite one. It's been all over the place.

You go in with a slow crash and bash team like we did this finals series, last year and early this year. By mid season the team will be burnt out and the quicker sides will run rings around you. We will be the biggest, strongest, toughest, resilient, good tackling witches hats in the game. Trade Dow and Fisher, get a heap of injuries from playing a physically tolling game style. We won't make finals.

We have a good list. Voss has proven, depending how you use it, it can finish bottom 4 as it was destined to mid way through this year or it can finish top 4 like we have.

Both GWS and Carlton have proven just how important game plan and team structure are. The same list poorly coached and structured can be bottom 4 or if coached and structured properly can be top 4.

Without a shadow of a doubt we can go either way. It's happened at Carlton before under Ratten. That rebuild stopped and did a u-turn very quickly based on poor decisions and poor administration and getting itself in a cultural, development, recruiting and salary cap hole.

Make no mistake, we are at a point where we will go either way. Embracing modern footy, fixing our run and carry and speed in the centre and ball movement issues. Do that and we are a chance to win the flag, easy. Don't do that and we are in trouble.

Or we stick with the big bodied slow player obsession and watch everything fall to pieces. Will be interesting to see which direction we go next season.

I hope to see us a bit quicker in the middle and a backline that can run in waves and carry the ball and deliver it accurately. That's what I want for Christmas.

I got a fair bit right. The teams I thought may come up the ladder, didn't get all of them but some.

I was the only one of few expressing concerns over our finals campaign. I didn't like it. I thought we looked slow, played poor, selected the team poorly and lucked our way over the line a few times.

Are we poorly coached? I don't think the coaching is the problem but I don't think it's great. I'm not sure the ugly crash and bash contested footy is the coaching, it could be that we are forced into it because we are just too slow.

We have butchered the recruiting of midfielders for 20 years now. I think that is the big issue. Too slow to adjust to the changing game style.

This is genuinely make or break for us. We could very well head to the bottom of the ladder for a 1-3 years and that is a starc reality as we desperately need to rebuild our midfield, forward flanks and find that elusive CHB we keep talking about.

Didn't mind what I saw at the back end of 2023, didn't like a lot of what happened in finals, the players we picked, the way we played etc. Could see it coming.

The injuries suck. We backed in a lot of injury prone players who really let us down. But maybe we have to take some responsibility. Soft tissue injuries are viral at the club and it's looking more and more to do with player management.

 

[Red_man2008]

Some good news:

We should get a middle six draw in 2025
We should get two picks in before Ben Camporeale
We get a longer off season to focus on fitness and getting our S&C department in good shape
Off season surgeries shouldn’t impact the start of the year if we send them off now
We will hopefully learn to pace ourselves, rotate our side more readily and not destroy cohesion for the sake of bringing back players that need time in the VFL first.
We get a look at Lemmey mirkov binns Moir Wilson and hopefully Akuei in the ones before next season.

 

[Benaly28]

The good:
Second cats game

The bad:
Everything else

Most improved:
Cowan


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Aphrodite]

Season isn’t over yet.

How about we wait a little longer then we can have a shiny new thread:

2024 - The Season That Was